Origins The game was the idea of
Arch Ward, the sports editor of the
Chicago Tribune and the driving force behind
Major League Baseball's
All-Star Game. The Chicago game was one of several "pro vs. rookie" college all-star games held across the United States in its early years (the
1939 season featured seven such games, all of which the NFL teams won in shutouts, and the
season prior featured eight, with some of the collegiate players playing in multiple games). Chicago's game had the benefit of being the highest profile, with the NFL champions facing the best college graduates from across the country as opposed to the regional games that were held elsewhere; because of this, the game survived far longer than its contemporaries. . The inaugural game in 1934, played before a crowd of 79,432 on August 31, was a scoreless tie between the All-Stars and the
Chicago Bears. The following year, in a game that included
University of Michigan graduate and future
U.S. president Gerald Ford, the Bears won 5–0.
Highlights The first All-Star team to win was the 1937 squad, coached by
Gus Dorais, which won 6–0 over
Curly Lambeau's
Green Bay Packers. The only score came on a 47-yard touchdown pass from future
Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh to
Gaynell Tinsley. Baugh's
Washington Redskins lost to the All-Stars the next year, but he did not play due to injury. In the 1940s, the games were competitive affairs that attracted large crowds to Soldier Field. The college All-Stars had the benefit of being fully integrated, since the NFL's league-wide color barrier did not apply to the squad, meaning
black players such as
Kenny Washington (who played in the 1940 contest) were allowed to play in the game. As the talent level of pro football improved (and the NFL itself integrated), the pros came to dominate the series. The qualifying criteria for the College All-Star squad was loose. The 1945 game featured
Tom Harmon, whose professional career had begun in 1941, but had been interrupted by military service. The All-Stars last won consecutive games in 1946 and 1947, and won only four of the final 29 games: the
Philadelphia Eagles fell in 1950, the
Cleveland Browns in 1955, and the
Detroit Lions in 1958. The last All-Star win came in 1963, when a college team coached by legendary quarterback
Otto Graham beat
Vince Lombardi's
Green Bay Packers, 20–17. In 1949, Ward, who by this time had founded the competing
All-America Football Conference, attempted to have that league's champion, the perennially winning Browns, play that year's game instead of the NFL champion, but after the NFL threatened legal action, the
Tribune board overruled Ward and renewed its agreement with the NFL.
Decline . By the late 1960s and the 1970s, enthusiasm for the game started to erode as NFL coaches became increasingly reluctant to let their new draftees play in the exhibition game due to their being forced to miss part of training camp, and their draftees being at considerable risk for injury. As early as 1949, these concerns had been raised after
Dick Rifenburg suffered a serious knee injury practicing for the game, effectively ending his professional career before it began, and prompting Rifenburg's move into broadcasting.
Dan Rooney, vice president of the Steelers, called the game one that "has turned into a farce" as early as 1970. In
1974, a
player's strike and an exodus of stars to the
World Football League exacerbated this issue, as the NFL went to all-rookie rosters to allow the preseason to be played: with no rookies available to play for the College All-Stars, the
game was cancelled that year. During most of its run, the College All-Star Game was not particularly unique, since NFL teams frequently played exhibition games against non-NFL competition in its early decades. However, by the 1970s, the NFL was withdrawing from competition against teams that were not members of the league. Following the end of preseason games against teams from the
Eastern Conference of the
Canadian Football League in 1961, the NFL played only three games against non-NFL teams (excluding pre-merger exhibition games against AFL teams and College All-Star Games). The first two of these games, a 1969 split-squad match against a
Continental Football League team and a 1972 split-squad match against a
Seaboard Football League team, were large blowout wins for the NFL teams, while the third, between the
Houston Oilers rookie and practice squad and the San Antonio Toros, was a much closer contest. The final College All-Star Game took place in during a torrential downpour at Soldier Field on July 23. Despite featuring star players such as
Chuck Muncie,
Mike Pruitt,
Lee Roy Selmon, and
Jackie Slater, the All-Stars were hopelessly outmatched by the
Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of consecutive Super Bowls (
IX,
X). The star quarterback for the College All-Stars, Steeler draft pick
Mike Kruczek of
Boston College, left ten minutes into the first quarter after pulling his left thigh, with backup quarterback
Craig Penrose of
San Diego State suffering two broken fingers in the second quarter.
Jeb Blount of
Tulsa played most of the game. With 1:22 remaining in the third quarter and the Steelers leading 24–0, high winds and lightning prompted All-Stars coach
Ara Parseghian to call for a time out. After the officials ordered both teams to their locker rooms, fans invaded the field and began sliding on the turf as the rain continued to fall heavily. Despite the efforts of officials, stadium security and Chicago Police, all attempts to clear the field failed, with a group of drunk fans tearing down the goalposts at the southern end of the stadium. However, by this time, the torrential rain had left parts of the field under of water, meaning it would have been unplayable in any event. At 11:01pm
CDT, NFL Commissioner
Pete Rozelle and the
Tribune announced that the game had been called: the announcement was greeted with jeers, and numerous brawls broke out on the flooded field before order was finally restored.
Joe Washington of
Oklahoma was selected as the MVP of the final College All-Star game.
Termination and legacy Chicago Tribune Charities had every intention of staging a 1977 game, however, a combination of factors, including NFL coaches being increasingly reluctant to let their high draft picks play, rising insurance costs, and higher player salaries meant the game was no longer viable or competitive. As such, the
Tribune announced on December 21, 1976, that the game would be discontinued. The game raised over $4 million for charity during the course of its 42-game run. In the 42 College All-Star Games, the defending pro champions won 31, the All-Stars won nine, and two were ties, giving the collegians a winning percentage. The 1976 College All-Star Game remains, as of 2025, the last time an NFL team has played any team from outside the league. One aspect of the College All-Star Game was later revived: the concept of the league champion playing in the first game of the season was adopted in
2004 with the
National Football League Kickoff game. Since then, the first game of the regular season is hosted by the defending Super Bowl champion. ==Game results==